For her third picture book, All Because You Matter, Tami Charles (Freedom Soup) collaborates with Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner and four-time Caldecott Honoree Bryan Collier. A story that identifies the importance of Black ancestors as well as our present and future selves, All Because You Matter tackles topics such as bullying, racial profiling and the discovery of one's identity.
Charles's graceful text and Collier's evocative illustrations work together to make conversations about these topics easier to have with children. The lyrical text describes the emotional relationship of BIPOC parents to their children; the repeated calls to the ancestors and use of the word "matter" drive home the idea that Black children are born with purpose and hope. Collier's signature watercolor and collage images use white (but most certainly not blank) space powerfully, and his repeated use of a single flower petal shape builds "a blossoming effect in all backgrounds." Like a garden, the ancestors bloom in this book, telling Black children "you matter." --Kharissa Kenner